In re Girodes

• Decision Date: 20 September 2006
• Docket Number: No. 06-80171C-13.,06-80171C-13.
• Court: United States Bankruptcy Courts. Fourth Circuit. U.S. Bankruptcy Court — Middle District of North Carolina
• Parties: In re Angelina GIRODES.

350 B.R. 31

In re Angelina GIRODES.

No. 06-80171C-13.

United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. North Carolina.

September 20, 2006.

John T. Orcutt, Raleigh, NC, for Debtor.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CATHARINE R. CARRUTHERS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came on before the court for confirmation of the Debtor's Chapter 13 plan. The case is filed under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ("BAPCPA"). The Chapter 13 Trustee has objected to confirmation. The court has jurisdiction over the subject matter and the parties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157(b). This is a core proceeding in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 157(b).

Background

The Debtor, Angelina Girodes, filed for protection under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code, as amended by BAPCPA, on February 13, 2006. The Debtor filed schedules, including a statement of income (Schedule I), a statement of expenses (Schedule J), and a statement of current monthly income ("CMI") on Form B22C. Schedule I reflects a present gross income of $2,047.18 per month, but a higher net income of $2,771.58 since the Debtor receives approximately $1,000 per month in assistance from family members. Schedule J reflects monthly expenses of $2,620.58, leaving excess income of $151.00 per month. According to the Debtor's Form B22C, the Debtor has CMI of $2,661.00, with the "amounts reasonably necessary to be expended"¹ from Schedule J totaling $2,620.58, giving the Debtor "disposable income," as defined by 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(2), of $40.42 per month.

The Debtor's current monthly income, as determined and defined by 11 U.S.C. § 101(10A)(A)(I), when annualized, is below the "median" family income for the state of North Carolina for the applicable family size. Because the debtor had CMI which, when annualized, placed her below the median family income, she was not required to complete parts III, IV, V or VI of Form B22C, and her "disposable income" was determined under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(2), without the requirement that she use only those "reasonably necessary expenses" that 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(3) specifically designates. Schedule J lists the amounts of her estimated average monthly expenses, not including amounts being paid to (or on behalf of) the holders of allowed secured and/or priority claims through the plan.

The Debtor has no scheduled priority unsecured debts, $7,596.25 in scheduled general unsecured debts, and $2,300.00 in administrative unsecured debts, consisting of unpaid attorney's fees. The debtor is not eligible for a discharge under Chapter 7 because she filed a case under Chapter 7 on February 18, 2000 and subsequently received a discharge.

The plan proposed by the Debtor calls for payments of $151 per month for a period of 16 months, followed by payments of $0.00 per month for a period of 20 months. The proposed plan would yield $2,416.00, which is sufficient only to pay remaining attorney's fees and the Trustee's commissions on disbursements. The Trustee has objected to confirmation on several grounds, including the failure by the Debtor to propose plan payments for the applicable commitment period.² The Trustee contends that the plan must provide for $151.00 per month for a period of 36 months, unless the Debtor proposes to pay all allowed claims in full over a shorter period. The Trustee has objected to neither the reasonableness of any expenses, nor the accuracy of any schedules, including the calculation of CMI on Form B22C.

Discussion

Prior to the enactment of BAPCPA, a Chapter 13 plan could not provide for payments over a period of time that was longer than three years, unless the court, for cause, approved a longer period, but in no event could the court approve a period for longer than five years. 11 U.S.C. § 1322(d). This section was deleted under BAPCPA and replaced with the following new provision.

(d)(1) If the current monthly income of the debtor and the debtor's spouse combined, when multiplied by 12, is not less than —

(A) in the case of a debtor in a household of 1 person, the median family income of the applicable State for 1 earner;

(B) in the case of a debtor in a household of 2, 3, or 4 individuals, the highest median family income of the applicable State for a family of the same number or fewer individuals; or

(C) in the case of a debtor in a household exceeding 4 individuals, the highest median family income of the applicable State for a family of 4 or fewer individuals, plus $525 per month for each individual in excess of 4, the plan may not provide for payments over a period that is longer than 5 years.

(2) If the current monthly income of the debtor and the debtor's spouse combined, when multiplied by 12, is less than —

(A) in the case of a debtor in a household of 1 person, the median family income of the applicable State for 1 earner;

(B) in the case of a debtor in a household of 2, 3, or 4 individuals, the highest median family income of the applicable State for a family of the same number or fewer individuals; or

(C) in the case of a debtor in a household exceeding 4 individuals, the highest median family income of the applicable State for a family of 4 or fewer individuals, plus $525 per month for each individual in excess of 4, the plan may not provide for payments over a period that is longer than 3 years, unless the court, for cause, approves a longer period, but the court may not approve a period that is longer than 5 years.

11 U.S.C. § 1322

Therefore, under BAPCPA, if a debtor's income is above the state's median income, the debtor's plan may be no longer than five years; if a debtor's income is below the state's median income, the plan may be no longer than three years or five years with court approval. Before the enactment of BAPCPA, it was well-settled law that if a debtor wanted to obtain a Chapter 13 discharge, the debtor was required to devote his disposable income to a plan for a period of three years, unless the debtor paid all claims in full prior to the expiration of the three-year term. 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(1); see also In re Solomon, 67 F.3d 1128, 1131-32 (4th Cir.1995); In re Kitson, 65 B.R. 615, 618 (Bankr.E.D.N.C. 1986); accord In re Keach, 243 B.R. 851, 857 (1st Cir. BAP 2000); In re Cavanagh, 250 B.R. 107, 112 (9th Cir. BAP 2000); In re Turek, 346 B.R. 350 (Bankr.M.D.Pa. 2006); In re Caraballo Rivera, 328 B.R. 12, 15 (Bankr.D.P.R.2005); In re Oimoen, 325 B.R. 809, 811 (Bankr.N.D.Iowa 2005); In re Jones, 301 B.R. 840, 844-45 (Bankr. E.D.Mich.2003); In re Cardillo, 170 B.R. 490, 490-91 (Bankr.D.N.H.1994).

BAPCPA also introduces a new concept: the applicable commitment period ("ACP"). Section 1325(b)(1) states:

If the trustee or the holder of an allowed unsecured claim objects to the confirmation of the plan, then the court may not approve the plan unless, as of the effective date of the plan —

(A) the value of the property to be distributed under the plan on account of such claim is not less than the amount of such claim; or

(B) the plan provides that all of the debtor's projected disposable income to be received in the applicable commitment period beginning on the date that the first payment is due under the plan will be applied to make payments to unsecured creditors under the plan.

11 U.S.C.A. § 1325(b)(1). The Debtor's ACP is defined in § 1325(4) as: (i) three years; or (ii) not less than five years, if the debtor is above median income. Section 1325(B) sets forth an exception, which states that the ACP may be less than three or five years if the plan provides for the payment in full of all allowed unsecured claims over a shorter period of time.

The issue that this court must address is whether the ACP is a "temporal" requirement or a "monetary" requirement. If the ACP is a monetary requirement, the debtor's disposable income must be multiplied by the ACP, which would be 36 months for a below-median income debtor and 60 months for an above-median income debtor, to determine the fixed sum that the debtor must pay during the course of his plan. Under such an approach, there would be no requirement that the debtor remain in the plan for 36 or 60 months so long as the debtor pays the fixed sum in full. Alternatively, if the ACP is a temporal requirement, the debtor must devote his projected disposable income to payment of unsecured creditors over a specific period of time and may not exit the plan before the ACP has ended unless the debtor pays all unsecured creditors in full. Here, the Debtor argues that the ACP is a monetary requirement, while the Trustee argues that the ACP is a temporal requirement and the Debtor must stay in the plan for 36 months if she does not pay unsecured creditors in full in a shorter period of time.

This court finds that the plain meaning of the statute supports a temporal interpretation. The use of the term "period" implies time period rather than amount. Temporal references are made throughout Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. For example, § 1322(a)(4) states:

A plan may provide for less than full payment of all amounts owed for a claim entitled to priority under section 507(a)(1)(B) only if the plan provides that all of the debtor's projected disposable income for a 5-year period beginning on the date that the first payment is due under the plan will be applied to make payments under the plan.

Section 1322(d)(1) provides that if a debtor is above the median income, "the plan may not provide for payments over a period that is longer than 5 years." If a debtor is below the median income, "the plan may not provide for payments over a period that is longer than 3 years, unless the court, for cause, approves a longer period, but the court may not approve a period that is longer than 5 years." 11 U.S.C. § 1322(d)(2).

Debtor's counsel asserts that BAPCPA no longer requires that a debtor must stay in a plan for a fixed duration; rather, the debtor must only pay into the plan the monetary amount required with reference to CMI as calculated on Form...